Dreamin' Out Loud
by zelda49
Summary: EC Second in the "Dream" series, but can also be read as a standalone. Eric spends his New Year's Eve at the lab but ends up doing more daydreaming than working...until he gets caught.


A/N: Okay, so when a couple of you asked for a sequal to "Daydream Believer" I smiled broadly and thought, "well, wouldn't that be fun?" I never had any intention of writing one, though, because real life has been attrocious lately and I didn't think I'd be able to. Then lo and behold, a cute little idea popped into my head and out came this. I'm not sure how many more there will be (or if there will be any more at all), but the possibility of a series isn't out of the question. We'll just see what my muse comes up with :-D

At any rate, enjoy another one of Eric's daydreams!

* * *

Eric walked into the lab, throwing his gaze around the lobby and corridors as he moved, noting how quiet the place was. _Peaceful_, he thought, though he understood it was a false peace. People get crazy around the holidays, he knew, and almost every CSI was out on a crime scene run rather than working in the lab. _And it's only going to get worse as the night goes on. No wonder Jensen didn't want to work New Year's Eve—if I had a party to go to, I'd switch shifts with someone, too._

He checked his cell phone to make sure it was on as he headed for the storage room, pulling down the box containing evidence from one of his current cases. Carrying it into Layout, he emptied the contents onto the light table and spread it out so that each piece of evidence was clearly visible.

"Maybe if I take a look at everything at once, I'll figure out what the hell happened," he muttered to himself.

He flattened his palms on the table and leaned forward, his eyes sweeping slowly over the items laid out before him. His mind began to whir through possible scenarios of the crime, but gradually wandered away from work and onto a more relaxing subject.

Calleigh.

_They sat together on a couch, his arm draped across the back, his fingers combing absently through her blond hair. His honey-colored eyes were fixed on her face, and her green ones, in turn, were fixed on the television flashing images of a crystal covered ball in Times Square._

_The clock in the corner of the screen ticked down to sixty seconds before midnight and she turned to him, her smile bright. "Ready?"_

_His fingertips brushed a curl off her cheek and tucked it gently behind her ear. "Absolutely."_

"_You're not sorry we stayed home this year?" she asked, studying his expression closely when he answered._

_His arm slipped off the back of the couch and came to rest around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. "No," he replied seriously._

"_You wouldn't rather be out at a club celebrating the New Year?" she persisted, knowing his penchant for large crowds and loud music._

_He shook his head, his lips curving into a soft smile. "Nah. I mean, that's a lot of fun, sure, but I'm happy with our plans this year." She mirrored his smile and leaned up as if to kiss him, but he pulled away with a chuckle. "Not yet, Cal," he told her, pointing to the clock on TV. "It's not midnight yet."_

"_Come on, Eric," she complained, swatting his chest playfully. "Are you really gonna make me wait?"_

_His eyes sparkled with adoration when he answered her. "Yes."_

_The twinkling ball descended and the clock counted down, each second bringing Calleigh closer and closer to Eric on the couch. By the time the clock struck midnight she was cuddled against his body, her arms wound around his midsection, her head resting against his shoulder._

_He cupped her cheek in one large hand and ran a thumb over her soft skin. "Happy New Year, Cal."_

_She raised her face to his and leaned in, a contented smile perched on her lips as she kissed him. "Happy New Year, Eric."_

"_Eric…"_

"Eric…"

It took him a minute to realize the voice was coming from inside the Layout Room rather than inside his head. He shook off the daydream, forcing his eyes to focus on the woman standing beside him. "Oh, hey Calleigh."

"You okay?" she asked, the concern evident in her eyes.

"Yeah," he assured her quickly. "I'm fine."

"You just looked…I don't know, like you were somewhere else," she observed. "And you said my name."

He felt the blood creeping into his cheeks and knew his face was turning red in a deep blush. "I was, uh, just thinking about this case…that maybe if you were here you could help me figure it out."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow at him but didn't call his bluff. "Well I _am_ here, so what've you got?"

"No plans for New Year's Eve?" he asked carefully instead of answering her question. _No Jake?_

Calleigh read his unspoken thought and shook her head lightly. "Nope. You know how it is this time of year—all hands on deck, and if you don't ask for time off way in advance you're not gonna get it."

"And Jake didn't get it."

"No," she replied, her soft southern accent coming out as she spoke the word. "So when Sally from nights asked if I'd cover her shift so she could spend the evening with her boyfriend, I figured why not? Being at work is better than being at home alone."

A brief vision of a solitary Calleigh curled up on a couch in an empty apartment flashed through his mind and Eric felt his face harden.

Before he could comment, though, Calleigh did it for him. "And I know what you're going to say, so don't."

"What am I going to say?"

"That if Jake had really wanted to be with me on New Year's he'd have made sure to get the time off," she responded, avoiding his gaze.

_I would've. _He allowed himself to just look at her for a moment, wishing for the millionth time that Jake, if he was going to be with her, would treat her the way she deserved to be treated. Then he touched his fingers to her shoulder, giving her an affectionate little squeeze. "His loss."

Her eyes met his and her mouth formed a small smile. _Thanks._ Turning back to the light table, she gestured to the evidence spread out in front of them. "So what've you got?"

He followed her lead and described the case to her, quickly becoming absorbed into the puzzle right along with her, not noticing how much time was passing as they worked. When Eric finally glanced at his watch he was staggered by the readout.

"It's midnight," he declared, shifting his eyes from his watch to Calleigh.

Pushing the sleeve of her lab coat back, she checked her own watch. "Oh wow, it is," she confirmed, the surprise evident in her voice. Then she smiled. "Time flies when you're having fun."

"Yeah," he replied, his eyes shining. "It flies all the way into a new year." Bending down, he pressed his lips against her hair. "Happy New Year, Cal."

Her smile softened as she brushed a hand over his arm. "Happy New Year, Eric."


End file.
